Playing Barrier Games with students: is so much fun and incredibly useful!

When my students look as though they need a “play break” I often pull a barrier game or two from “up my sleeve”. The kids love them. They make for great language building activities … and often ignite some great giggles _ and even encourage friendships – along the way.(Psssst = & quite “selfishly”, observing my kids playing these games makes for some authentic, valuable observational notes, as well insights into their individual strengths and needs.)

Okay… & so down to brass tacks:

“My Teacher-ish Purpose”: Barrier games can help to improve students’:

listening skills

expressive language skills – oral/social language skills

articulation

fluency

vocabulary

referential communication

ability to give instructions

ability to follow directions

confidence: opportunities to ask for clarification during “play”

problem solving skills

social skills

experiences with trial & error

! etc.!etc.!

& oh yah … lest I forget: They are often “super” fun!

When first being introduced to these games my first two question were:
1. What exactly are barrier games?
2.Which ones are the easiest to implement at the spur of the moment &/or on a budget?

Well, please refer to the sites below to uncover the answers to these questions … along with some “super-fun”, free barrier games to play at home or at school.

Cheers,
AllyP.S. & before I go … let me say that I am always curious: If you employ these games which ones do your kids love? (… oh, & ones that might also be free and easy to set up ;-)
In the meantime, here are some of my favourites!Some sites to visit:

Those who choose to do so can bring them in to either upcycle or donate to St. Jude’s Ranch for Children.

I have included below some information about an organization that “recycles your used greeting cards and creates new holiday and all-occasion greeting cards. Recycled cards are sold to support … programs and services for abused, neglected and homeless children, young adults and families.” (source: https://stjudesranch.org/about-us/recycled-card-program/)

I have also included some sites that I have looked to in the past for arts and crafts ideas using old holiday, birthday and greeting cards.

1. Ensure that students fully understand the difference between revising and editing.

2. Encourage students to put their work (first draft) aside for a little while. Come back to it with fresh eyes; as though reading it for the very first time.

3. Ask student to read their stories out loud; either to themselves or to a friend. Make sure that they are reading for meaning. What do they notice as they read? Does the story make sense? Is it missing something? Should something be removed? etc.

5. Look for repetitions. Has the same word(s) been used over and other? If so think of another word or grab a thesaurus.

6. Having trouble adding detail & description?
Try these strategies:
a) Talk, talk, talk – Invite students not just to read their work to someone else, but to talk about it, go into detail, see what emerges! Laugh about it! Giggle! Play!
b) Students can close their eyes and picture their work. Ask them to consider their five senses: What do they see, hear, taste, touch, and smell?
c) Students can be encouraged to illustrate their story. Are there things in the pictures that are not included in the written work?
d) Consider adding literary devices. Is the student able to add metaphors, similes, personifications, or alliteration?
e) As the student reads each sentence, see whether he/she can come up with a question, and record it on the first draft either above the sentence with a carrot or in the margin. Then answer the question(s) in the next draft. For example:
S: “My dog is my best friend. She plays with me every morning and every night.”
Q: “My dog is my best friend. (What is her name? What kind of dog is she?) She plays with me every morning and every night.” (What do we play?)
R: “My dog is my best friend. Her name is Sonic and she is an adorable schnoodle. She plays with me every morning and every night. We love to run around in the garden and play fetch.”

7. Discuss trying to use an “active” vs. using a “passive” voice when writing.

8. Model the above strategies for and with your students – and do this a lot.

9. Finally, celebrate students’ efforts and well as their achievements. Celebrate not just the products but the process as well!

1. “NonFiction Fridays”- Fridays are devoted to non-fiction text!
Reading books as well as online news sites.
a) Have a ton(!) of books spread around the room hidden in corners and nooks for children to “hunt for”. Choice is important: Students can choose to read alone, with friends, in groups.
b) Fire up our computers and check out these “news sites” for students: http://www.timeforkids.com

P.S. Stories can be of a sensitive nature … so always preview!
c) As a starting point consider the use of these Graphic Organizers when recording ideas, observations, opinions & questions: http://ht.ly/s7b0o

2.“Calendar Math” Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays (This term we will include cells for “odd & even”, “factors & multiples”, “multiplication & division”, “All the ways to make ….”.) Google & Pinterest have tons of example pintables to view and make your own.

Enter your email address, you name and a password … & then just click “Sign Up”

Now here’s the hard part … choosing a username! Trust me … this isn’t as easy as it sounds … at least it wasn’t for me! ;-)

Go to “Create my account” and then follow the prompt so that they/we know you’re not a robot ;-)

You will recieve a message at your email account … and accept.

& that’s it folks!

Oh – posting a pic & a bio is a good idea. “Eggs” are often Spammers and you do not want to be mistaken as one

Dive right in and play. Find people you are interested in connecting with … who do they seem to follow and chat with?
There are also some great #chats out there! Have a look around … you’ll be amazing at what you find!

Consider using a social media dashboard like Hootsuite.com in order to manage incoming messages

Basic Twitter Lingo

# Hashtags - connect a stream on consciousness@ + usernames = the link to a Twitter profileDM = (d +space & username) a direct message between you and other; not seen publicly#FF = “Follow Friday – use it to suggest fab tweeters others might like to followRT – when you re-tweet a message you think others ought to see – share!MT – if you have to make slight changes as there are only 140 characters to play with – & share again

I am so excited to be sharing my passion for Twitter and Twitter Chats at the Bring IT Together Conference (http://bringittogether.ca) (#ecoo13) next week.
You see, seldom do I get up on a soapbox …. however … in breaking with tradition …. I am doing just that …
You see …
I believe that not only is it to our benefit, but I believe that it is in fact our professional responsibility to be connected educators — to establish and participate in our own professional online learning networks.
After all, if we’re asking our students to become authentic, involved, digital, global citizens — we ought to be doing the same …
We should be teaching them about global citizenship and learning along side them.
& you know, now that I think about it– I really don’t believe that any one group has leveraged the true power of Twitter in quite the same way – in quite as powerful and meaningful a way – as teachers.
I believe that Twitter and Twitter Chats are among the most effective ways to reach out to, learn from, and share with other connected educators in a professional, productive and positive manner – to engage in online learning experiences in real time.
& so … if you are at all interested in learning more … in learning how to set up a #chat … or just want to encourage a colleague or two to get onto the Twitter “Bandwagon” :-) then I look forward to seeing you at Bring It Together #ecoo13 next week in Niagara Falls.
It’s going to be a fan-ta-bu-lous 3 days!
Hope to see you at : http://lanyrd.com/2013/ecoo13/schfqy/
Cheers,
Ally